Disability provider Community Living Australia to operate new $25m Mt Barker health hub

Developers have unveiled plans for a new $25m community health hub in the centre of Mt Barker, complete with publicly accessible rooftop garden. See the plans.

A $25m community health hub will be built at Mount Barker, offering social care, allied health and disability services to the expanding Adelaide Hills region.

The centre will be operated by not-for-profit disability services provider Community Living Australia (CLA), which will relocate its head office to the new facility.

Social care, disability services and allied health services including physiotherapists, speech therapists and psychologists will operate from the ground floor, while day services, CLA administration and offices will be located across three upper levels.

A publicly accessible rooftop garden will be available for functions and events.

Community Living Australia chief executive Mark Kulinski said the facility would help to better integrate people living with a disability in the Mount Barker community.

“Community Living Australia has selected the new Mount Barker City Centre as the site for its new head office to provide convenient, centralised services, helping clients to access all the services they need and utilise more of their NDIS funding,” he said.

Artist's impression of the community health hub. Picture: City Collective

“It will also help address the current shortage of allied health services in the Mount Barker area, ultimately boosting the availability of vital services in the community.”

The community health hub forms part of the first stage of the Mount Barker City Centre Project – a multi-stage development which will eventually include a town square, a market shed, commercial offices, retail, homes and a hotel.

The project is being developed by local developer Burke Urban Investments in a partnership with the Mount Barker District Council.

Burke Urban Investments director Kym Burke said the new community health hub would create vibrancy in the market square and retail precinct.

“CLA is a perfect fit for this project as they live and breathe the key values and themes that underpin this once-in-a generation project,” he said.

“CLA is committed to holistic wellbeing, with a strong community spirit and aims to create a completely inclusive community within their new building that will develop opportunities for people living with disability to be genuinely respected, valued and actively involved and included in the community.”

The community health hub will also be used to develop a new training program designed to create employment opportunities for people living with disability and to help ease the shortage of workers in the health, social care and support sector.

CLA has lodged its plans, designed by local architecture firm City Collective, for development approval and is seeking grant funding to support delivery of the project.

Construction is expected to commence in the middle of next year, and the project is expected to create up to 100 direct and indirect jobs once completed.